Fifteen Israeli soldiers were wounded in Lebanon today, II in the coastal city of Sidon and four near Baloul village in the eastern sector of the front. A local resident was killed and three other civilians were wounded in Sidon.
The first incident occurred this morning when three explosive charges were detonated by remote control near an Israel Defense Force post in the Sidon port area, wounding II soldiers, one seriously. An Israeli military spokesman said two of the explosions were on the quay and the third on a fishing boat moored alongside.
Four other soliders were wounded this afternoon when their armored personnel carrier struck a mine near Baloul.
Beirut Radio gave a different account of the incident in Sidon. A rifle grenade was fired at an IDF vehicle on the quay and an IDF armored personnel carrier rushing to the scene was damaged by an explosion at the roadside, according to the radio report. The Sidon port area was sealed off by a phalanx of Israel army trucks and seaward entry to the port was blocked by a fishing boat.
The Sidon quay has been the scene of four other attacks against IDF personnel in recent weeks and Israeli military sources said they may be intended to create unrest among residents of Israel-occupied south Lebanon. According to the sources, the local populace is resentful of the widespread searches which follow such incidents and the possible closure of the Sidon port through which they receive shipments of food and other supplies.
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